Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Loosely based on the 1908 New York-to-Paris race, the 1965 movie The Great Race cost an expensive, for the time, $8 million to make. Also unusual for a movie then, over $100,000 was spent building special vehicles to be featured in the film's action scenes.

Tony Curtis (as Leslie Galant III) drove the Leslie Special against Jack Lemmon as 'Professor Fate', the movie's villain, in the Hannibal 8.

Professor Fate's Hannibal 8

Painted the prerequisite villainous black, the Hannibal 8, one of approximately five produced, was a 'rocket-propelled' elevator car that was powered by a Volkswagen industrial engine.

1965 Hannibal 8 movie car from The Great Race

The Leslie Special (four were built), was a loose interpretation of the 1907 Thomas Flyer which won the real life race.

I had to get this film, my fav. When this film came out, the Topanga Plaza first in-door shopping mall featured an "appearance" by several of these outstanding movie cars for people to see up-close. They had the Leslie 2, Hannibal 8, and Fate torpedo.Great stuff got me interested in custoime movie cars from G. Barris and others. These cars were latter on exhibition in a local(now closed decades ago) vehicle and airplane museum in Buena Park, Ca called "Planes and cars of Fame". Great museum, shame it's closed and collection broke up.